Lawrence consistently proves to be one of the best children’s writers, and this is no exception. It’s a dark but ticklish tale of a soothsayer’s apprentice, and is overflowing with joyous things.Children of both sorts will love the sewer attendant called Turdus; parents will appreciate the explanation – it means Thrush: the attendant resembles a bird.

Atomic! Issue 1: The Vengeance of Vinister Vile

by Guy Bass

(Scholastic, 168pp, £5.99)

A villain who alliterates; twin brothers with super powers; a talking hamster; a city under daily attack by monsters: all ingredients for this fantastic series. Interspersed with comic strips of kinetic power, the text is also frolicsome and hilarious.Will suit action-loving boys.

Fright Forest: Elf Girl and Raven Boy

by Marcus Sedgwick

(Orion, 198pp, £6.99)

Raven Boy (not his real name – that’s too embarrassing) falls from the tree in which he sleeps and meets spiky Elf Girl (also not her real name). A wonderful story that plays with familiar tropes. It’s dreamy, yet has a propulsive quality that will suit both (non-raven) boys and (non-elf) girls alike.